Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
1 September, on Knowledge Day, Ihor Nikonov opened the STEM lyceum “REPUBLIC OF STEM” in the Kyiv residential complex “Respublika.” According to the Antikor publication, 2,1 billion UAH was invested in the project, and tuition at schools in the A+ network can reach $9–11,5 thousand per year excluding additional fees. In this context, attention is drawn to information about children of government officials and public figures who study at or are connected to schools in the network.
As the media write, the new campus is positioned as a large private educational complex. Its area is 26,3 thousand sq. m, and the design capacity is up to 1120 pupils. At the first stage, about 300 students from 5–9 grades are expected to begin classes. The lyceum declares 16 laboratories, IT and biotech directions, the Cambridge program, and a MakerSpace. However, the main question about this format is not the number of laboratories but its accessibility. According to data cited by Antikor, annual fees in the A+ network are measured in thousands of dollars, and entrance and other fees may be added. Thus, private education in this format is effectively aimed at families able to regularly spend significant sums on their child’s education. Reports about the composition of the student body cause separate resonance. The publication mentions the son of former Deputy Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Timoshenko, who, according to the outlet, studies at the new STEM lyceum. The article also features children of other high-ranking officials and well-known bureaucrats connected to the state and political spheres. At the same time, the school does not publish an official open list of students, so such information requires separate verification. It is precisely the combination of high tuition costs and the presence of influential people’s children that raises questions about the actual model of this educational environment. This is not about the legality of officials’ children attending private schools, but about how transparent the admission conditions, the full amount of all payments, and the access criteria to the institution are. For private education, these rules are fundamentally important, because parents are effectively buying not only an academic program but also a certain social and infrastructural format. The project is connected with the business group KAN Development, headed by Ihor Nikonov. The A+ educational network operates within residential complexes, including “Respublika” and Comfort Town. This model allows the developer to simultaneously form housing and educational infrastructure for residents of large complexes, but it also makes the issues of school cost and accessibility part of the project’s overall economics. There is also an issue with the figures that is important to consider when assessing construction costs. Antikor’s headline features the sum 2,1 billion dollars, while the text itself refers to 2,1 billion hryvnias. The difference between these figures is fundamental, so without official confirmation from the developer it is correct to speak of the 2,1 billion UAH cited in the body of the publication.
Ihor Nikonov is co‑founder and honorary president of KAN Development. In 2014–2015 he held the position of first deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration. The A+ holding has been operating since 2012, developing private educational institutions in Kyiv. The opening of the new campus shifts the discussion about private education to a plane not only of teaching quality but also of access cost and the social composition of the parent body.
Read Fraza on Google News (click "Subscribe")
Subscribe to Fraza’s channels on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Ігор Ніконов відкрив STEM-ліцей для обраних за 2,1 млрд грн". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Fraza.
